Mukran Port: More water depth for the future of grain and LNG!

Mukran Port: More water depth for the future of grain and LNG!

There is currently a lot of work going on in the port of Mukran on Rügen. The necessary work is being carried out there to increase the water depth to almost 15 meters. This project is primarily designed to allow larger ships access. In addition, grain handling and the loading of liquefied natural gas (LNG) should benefit from the increased water depth. Construction began last week and is expected to be completed by late August or early September. After the work, both the harbor entrance and the inner harbor basin will have a uniform depth of almost 15 meters, making it easier for ships with a draft of more than 12 meters to enter. However, according to N-TV, this work is not related to an incident in May when an LNG tanker ran aground. This incident occurred at a different location.

Sounds like a solid thing? Well, the reality surrounding the LNG port is a little different. In the port of Mukran, the delivery of liquefied natural gas is suffering from unexpected difficulties. Instead of the hoped-for two terminal ships, only one is currently in use. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has also shown its voice and described the terminal as a “bad investment with a message”. In the first quarter of 2025, the port's reception capacity was only used to a pitiful five percent. DUH Federal Managing Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner is even calling for the project to be terminated, as LNG only plays a marginal role in Germany's energy supply: Last year, just 1.3 billion cubic meters - that's just 1.5 percent of gas consumption - covered the demand. The DUH therefore sees Mukran as avoidable and points to overcapacity, while the charter contract for one of the two terminal ships will already be terminated in January 2025, as the planned onward loading of the LNG to other countries will not bring any benefit to German security of supply, such as MOPO reports.

Background: The hope for LNG

In order to meet the needs for a secure gas supply, the federal government initiated the construction of several LNG terminals on the North and Baltic Seas in the wake of the geopolitical crises - particularly triggered by the Russian attack on Ukraine. The LNG Acceleration Act, introduced on June 1, 2022, was intended to quickly replace natural gas purchases from Russia. The law allows for abbreviated approval procedures and exemptions from environmental assessments to expedite infrastructure construction. According to the Federal Government, floating liquid gas terminals in Wilhelmshaven, Brunsbüttel and Lubmin have been in operation since 2023 and cover around a third of current gas requirements.

But the LNG infrastructure is also not without criticism. Experts fear that the existing LNG terminals cannot even fully replace the lost Russian gas supplies. The Mukran location is also no longer considered necessary by many, while the construction of further terminals in Hamburg and Rostock will not be pursued further. After all, there is agreement that fossil gas can only be a temporary solution and that future energy supplies must be geared much more towards sustainable and climate-neutral products.

What happens next in the port of Mukran remains exciting. It remains to be seen whether the plans and investments will prove to be viable or will fizzle out in the face of criticism.